The Adventure of Truth

Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Education: Dr. Joe Lanzilotti on the Adventure of Truth on HeightsCast by The Heights School. The Catholic mission of education... remind[s] us of the transcendental qualities of being—that truth and goodness and beauty are united in everything that exists…. And so, when we encounter the beautiful, we have an experience of the good and the true as well. And so, therefore, when we teach, there ought to be something beautiful about it because if it’s not beautiful, there may be something lacking; it may not be the fullness of the truth that we're communicating. And if it’s true, it will also be good.... [T]o engage the will is to help to nurture and cultivate that innate desire. Read Listen

Catholic Teaching Program Provides Alternative to Woke Licensing Requirements at CatholicVote. The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) has launched a groundbreaking alternative to state teacher’s licensing requirements at a time when more and more states are codifying woke standards into their licensing processes. 

The Catholic Educator Formation and Credential (CEFC) program, which prepares Catholic school educators to infuse a deeply Catholic philosophy and anthropology into their teaching, is designed to replace the de facto need for state-approved licensure at Catholic schools across the country. Read

Why the ‘Microschool’ Model is Working in Three LA Catholic Schools by Ann Rodgers/Angelus News at Catholic News Agency. The Microschools Network was the inspiration of school officials in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who saw the children of celebrities paying high prices to send their children to very small schools. These educators believed that they could harness new approaches to online learning developed during the COVID-19 lockdown to make tiny schools affordable and academically excellent. “We are thrilled to offer families a small-school experience with a highly personalized learning environment,” said Paul M. Escala, senior director and superintendent of schools. “Our Catholic schools have always been known for their community-based approach to education of the whole person. Our Microschools Network takes this to a whole new level.” Read

Catholic Schools And The Fabric Of American Education by Mike McShane at Forbes. In 1972, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops published “To Teach as Jesus Did,” a pastoral letter to the American Catholic community. In it, the leadership of the church in America wrote multiple times about the importance of school choice, including saying: “It is also imperative that the Catholic community collaborate with all Americans committed to educational freedom. The right of parents to exercise genuine freedom of choice in education in ways consistent with the principles of justice and equality must be recognized and made operative.” Read

Yes, Your Catholic School Could (and Should) Be Beautiful by Kimberly Begg at Catholic School Playbook. [Dr. Joseph R.] McCleary hopes that all Catholic schools that are serious about offering a faithfully Catholic education will find ways to incorporate beauty into their culture, curriculum, and campus, regardless of their size and budget. For Catholic educators, beauty is not optional; it is essential to forming young people who will resonate to the splendor of creation as they grow to contemplate eternal truths. Read

Christian Teacher Fired Because She ‘Cannot Be Dishonest with Parents’ by Joshua Arnold at The Washington Stand. The cost of following Christ just hit home in a new way for one California teacher who was fired for refusing to tell lies about biological reality or hide student’s gender transitions from their parents.... District administrators directed Tapia “to refrain from disclosing the gender identity of a student who is transgender to a parent who does not know the student’s gender identity” and “to address students by their preferred name and preferred gender pronouns.” But she told them that her religious beliefs made her “unable to comply” with the two directives. Read

Roald Dahl Reversal: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Publisher will Keep Original Text after Backlash by Jeremiah Poff at Washington Examiner. The United Kingdom publishing house that distributes the writings of Roald Dahl said it would continue to release the author's beloved children's books in their original prose after details of an announced edit sparked widespread backlash…. The publisher's planned edits to Dahl's books will eliminate words such as "fat" or "men" over sensitivity concerns. Read

Parents, Beware: 3 Books Offer Insights Into What Families Need to Know About Ideology Affecting Education and Beyond by John Grondelski at National Catholic Register. Education is another area where parental rights are bludgeoned. From schools that dare rename children without even parental knowledge to explicit sex “education” courses and books that are more propaganda for lifestyle libertinism (as long as the “consequences” are avoided), even primary schools are now loci for teachers subverting parents. Read

How One Conservative Governor Can Raise His Grade on School Choice by Jason Bedrick at The Daily Signal. You’d think that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp would be getting more national attention, given his solid record of conservative accomplishments. But if he wants to be touted as an exemplar of conservative governance, he needs to fill one gaping hole in his otherwise sterling résumé: school choice. In a poll of likely voters nationwide last fall, 81% of Republican voters supported school choice policies.... The GOP primary candidates endorsed by the pro-school choice American Federation for Children Action Fund in 2022 won in 85 out of 115 races. In 40 races, a pro-school choice challenger replaced an anti-school choice incumbent. Read

Throwback Thursday

Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Catholic Educators at the Catholic University of America on April 17, 2008. Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God’s active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ’s “being for others” (cf. ibid., 28). Read